So after Cancun, I had 6 weeks to get ready for the World Championships 70.3. In Cancun, I had resigned to the fact that the Worlds was all about getting in...and I would go to enjoyt it - every minute of it. No stress. No performance anxiety. Just take it all in. Hang out with the best triathletes in the world. That goal changed when the Cancun slot rolled down. The new goal was, "Can I go sub-5 hours?"
Well that all ended on the beach in Siesta Key, FL.
Finally feeling 100% healthy, I entered the Siesta Key Sprint Triathlon with a new jump in my step. I absolutely KILLED the 800 meter swim; finishing in 13 minutes. I averaged 24 mph on the 14 mile bike and ran the 5K in under 23 minutes. That was good for a 3rd place in my AG and a podium finish.
I went out to run with Mel on the beach...Felt great for the first mile and then out of no where..."POP" goes the weasel. I know the feeling. My knee buckled and some meniscus came loose. That is usually followed by stiffness and swelling. My knee was toast.
I came home, found a great Orthopod, underwent an MRI and confirmed that in addition to my severed ACL (which I did in 1992 and never fixed) I had a inoperable meniscus tear and early onslaught of arthitis. Dr. Mehalik confirmed that I need reconstructive surgery but racing in Worlds and in Cozumel would not do more damage to my knee. Doc was clear that it is as bad as it gets in terms of ligament and meniscus damage and overall instability of my knee.
So I took a cortisone shot and limped in to Worlds. I added significant volume to my swimming and some hard core biking leading up to the race. I limited my running to a few tempos and 1 long run. Not enough to get to sub-5 hours in Clearwater.
In Clearwater, I had an awesome time with the family and the Bartons. T-Bart promised to travel to Clearwater if I ever made it to Worlds and there he was. We had an awesome Suite at the Hyatt and had a festive two days of hanging out, eating and laughing prior to the race. One set-back was that I got "sea-sick" in a pre-race swim so I panicked a bit the night before; but Yolanda recommended these Acu-pressure bands and they worked perfectly!
There I was the night before, tossing and turning with the "fake sleep" and the anticipatory anxiety. My first worry was whether I would turn up limp on the run...that fear was compounded by the sea-sicknesses which never happened on race day. T-Bart also recommended some Pepto and that also worked fabulously.
Race day was incredible. The fastest triathletes in the world. I woke up on race morning and finally surrendered to the race, the competitors and the atmosphere. I actually entered "Cloud 9" on the beach before the gun. No body fat on anyone. No one seemed anxious. Just a bunch of men and women who looked ready to attack! All business.
The gun goes. I didn't site well. My goggles fogged. It was very rough but I got through it. 34 minutes and change. Not my best. But no sea-sickness. The next goal was to crush the bike. I was excited to try to beat my 21.1 mph in Cancun. I nailed it with a 21.3 mph. That was great considering the two big bridges we faced and a pretty strong head wind at times. I was struck on the bike by all the drafting and some terrible accidents that involved back boards and ambulances. I couldn't believe how fast life could change with one pot hole or gust of wind.
My bike race ended with fascination. I can not believe there are 2,000 people who are faster than me on the bike. I podium in local races. I am dedicated to my trainer sessions and long rides. I got CRUSHED on the bike. I felt like I was standing still. I have a lot of work to do.
I get in at 3:15 and know that I have NO shot at a sub-5. I never really had a chance. So off I go on the run. First loop the knee felt fine. A bit stiff but no stability issues and no pain. Second loop I ran in to Jason Gunter and ran with him for about a mile. He was shadowed all day by the NBC crew which was super-cool. I knew I had Cozumel with him two weeks later so we chatted about how we felt and how much we would conserve for Cozumel.
The day went by way too fast. It was one of those races where I did not want it to end. Every mile felt like a gift. The conditions were incredible. No humidity. Mid-70s. Just perfect. I accepted the mess with my knee. I was grateful that I made it in after all my hard work and the challenges from this summer. I marveled at the fact that my parents and Mel and JJ got to see me race for the first time and experienced all the hoopla. I was overwhelmed at "Ironprayer" the day before and grateful that I could experience that with Mel, T-Bart and Dad. I loved that I got through the anxiety of the week and I finished strong in 5:18. My cardio was incredible and it gave me confidence for a strong Cozumel.
There were some more "Murphy's Law" moments leading up to Cozumel. Mel's mom calls and cancels her trip to Fort Myers. Mel will not be with me in Cozumel. Apparently Mom's cat is on his last legs and it would not be right for Mom to travel. Then, the day before I am supposed to leave, I have a mix-up with Mel and my passport is locked in the Northern Trust vault. Packet pick-up ends on Friday @ 6 PM. The soonest I can get in to Cozumel is 2 PM on SATURDAY. Then, a stomach bug hits Mel and I...
Oh great...Mexico, stomach flu, late check in, Mexican bike mechanics...This doesn't look good.
I text Jason the news. I didn't want to alarm him but he should know what I am dealing with. I was planning to be the "Sherpa" and help in the event of any mechanical issues. I wanted to provide moral support as he dealt with his demons from his DNF in Kona 400 days earlier. I wanted to be there at the finish for his moment of Glory.
So after much tossing and turning, dealing with the stomach virus and celebrating my wedding Anniversary (5 years) on Friday...I depart on Saturday and everything is fine. Flights are on time and my bike gets there. The hotel is great. Incredible service. I cab it to T-1 and the mechanic puts my bike together. There is an issue with my timing chip and I don't receive any Race Schwag but I can deal with all that.
That night we meet an elite athlete and coach - John Reiker from Chicago. He is calm, cool and collected. He wants to go 9:25 on Sunday and qualify for Kona (he was a DNF on Sunday due to the heat). Jason and I go over our race day strategy. Patience on the swim. Methodical on the bike. Heat Management on the run. We learn from John that the forecast is for heat and calm winds. This works for me but scares Jason. Heat is his cryptonite.
As part of my pre-race ritual, I attempt to find a church and Vigil mass. I find one in the hood of Cozumel and it is in Spanish. I understand some of the prayers, songs and ritual. I pray hard. I am a mess. Nerves. I never pray for race times or good performances: always for safety, perspective, strength and conviction.
Back to the hotel. Fake sleep on Saturday night. I go to bed @ 9 and toss and turn. 10 Pm. 11 PM. 12 midnight. 1 AM...then its fear and anger. "Please God - I need my sleep..."How do I complete an Ironman with no sleep????" The mind is so powerful. Sanity is often so elusive.
Race morning. My stomach is still not right. I force down some toast, a banana, protein bar and some coke. I meet Jason and we head to transition. This is a cool area that feels like a jungle. I get set up with my uncrustables...I fill my tires. Re-body-marked. I am ready. Jason is ready. He seems so calm.
The pros go. We jump in the water. We're like caged animals. The gun goes and I am immediately at peace. Patience. Patience. Find clear water. Long, slow strokes. I am swimming at a "forever pace." I get through the first 600 and feel great. I turn back but don't feel the expected "down" current. I swim smooth, site well and stay calm.
At about 45 minutes, I start to struggle a bit. I start to sense that this is not going to be a sub-hour swim as I had hoped. The stroke gets short and I start to tire. But I get through it. I get out in 1:04 and I am nauseous. Not motion sick. Just nauseous from the stomach bug. I force down some water and gatorade and wait for Jason.
Jason crushes the swim in 1:14. We meet in transition and off we go. It was HOT. Hot @ 8 AM - Like 85 with 95% humidity and no wind. We get out on the bike course and follow our plan. I meet some great people!!! Patience. Methodical. Focus on heat management. We stay at 18 MPH for the first 20 miles...My right aero pad was loose and I had to fix it but overall, the bike was uneventful. The stomach issues soon passed. Jason was hurting a bit by mile 60-70, but overall, we were on our plan. He was gonna finish his first Ironman!!!
What a beautiful bike course. The most beautiful bike course I have ever experienced. 3 loops. 12 miles of drab nothingness, 13 miles of beautiful ocean front cycling and 12 miles with a tail wind heading into town...The town-people were inspirational. Absolutely amazing. They made us feel like rock stars.
We get in to T-2 @ 8:30 which feels great. That means we can transition and run an 8 hour marathon and be fine. I never thought we would need it but we did. Jason was REALLY hurting at the end of the bike course. He was sick from the heat and the liquid nutrition.
We get out on the run. The sun was going down thank God. We are doing 15 minute miles...Not good. But not terrible. Still in position for a strong finish. Jason puked at Mile 2 but felt better. If the crowd thought we were rock stars, they thought Jason was the Messiah. Here's a guy with one leg and one arm who was about to finish a 140 mile Ironman. Unfathomable.
The chant was "Si Se Puede" - Yes you can! We were starting to feel it. It was very tough to go that slow and mentally think, "my God we are going to be out here another 6-7 hours"...but steady as she goes!!!
We met up with Pepe from Mexico City who advised us to go with a 6 minute run / 1 minute walk system. That worked for a while. Moreno from Torrino, Italy met up with us at mile 20. He was in a Speedo and un-phased. Craig from Australia stayed with us for 15 miles but was hurting bad. The whole thing felt like an out of body experience.
My stomach was shot at Mile 5. I tried coke and pretzels but by then, the pretzels were stale and the coke wasn't doing it for me. I was drenching Jason in cold water to keep his body tempt down...but I was shivering uncontrollably. He took over 15 salt pills on the "run" - I just wanted to be done. But we had Mile 23 @ Kona "haunting" us every step of the way. I also didn't know if my knee was gonna buckle. It seems that the slower I run, the greater the chance of a "buckle". I had a brace by my knee felt loose.
We finished in 16:16. Jason's wife Loree was there for the last mile. She was so calm yet fired up that we were gonna finish. She has such a cool aura. Calm. Cool. Collected. No words could describe the elation at the finish line. The atmosphere was electric. I felt like I was in the Tour De France, Superbowl and a U2 Concert at the same time.
"Jason Gunter and John Gamba from USA; It is my distinct honor to say to you both...YOU ARE AN IRONMAN"
Si Se Puede!!!
